U.S. patent application number 12/022212 was filed with the patent office on 2009-07-30 for dispenser.
Invention is credited to Lori Huffman, Anthony McCullough, Ron Shuster.
Application Number | 20090188943 12/022212 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40551274 |
Filed Date | 2009-07-30 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090188943 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
McCullough; Anthony ; et
al. |
July 30, 2009 |
DISPENSER
Abstract
A fluid dispenser formed of a bottle for housing the fluid, a
discharge mechanism for discharging fluid from the bottle, and a
protrusion that is connected to and extends from the bottom of the
bottle. The protrusion has a diameter that is smaller than the
diameter of the bottom wall of the bottle. The bottle is capable of
standing upward on a horizontal surface without the use of a
separate base or mount when the protrusion extends into an aperture
in the horizontal surface such that the bottom wall of the bottle
rests on the horizontal surface.
Inventors: |
McCullough; Anthony;
(Greensboro, NC) ; Shuster; Ron; (Greensboro,
NC) ; Huffman; Lori; (Greensboro, NC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SMITH MOORE LEATHERWOOD LLP
P.O. BOX 21927
GREENSBORO
NC
27420
US
|
Family ID: |
40551274 |
Appl. No.: |
12/022212 |
Filed: |
January 30, 2008 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
222/173 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 2005/1218 20130101;
A47K 5/12 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
222/173 |
International
Class: |
A47K 5/12 20060101
A47K005/12; B67D 5/64 20060101 B67D005/64; A47K 5/14 20060101
A47K005/14 |
Claims
1. A device for dispensing fluid comprising: a bottle for housing
the fluid, the bottle having a bottom wall; a discharge mechanism
that is configured to discharge fluid from the bottle; a protrusion
that is connected to and extends from the bottom wall of the
bottle, the protrusion having a diameter that is smaller than the
diameter of the bottom wall of the bottle; wherein the bottle is
capable of standing upward on a horizontal surface without the use
of a separate base when the protrusion extends into an aperture in
the horizontal surface such that the bottom wall of the bottle
rests on the horizontal surface.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottle is prevented from
stably standing upward on a horizontal surface unless the
protrusion extends into the horizontal surface such that the bottom
wall of the bottom rests on the horizontal surface.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein the discharge mechanism is
removably or permanently connected to the bottle.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottle is formed of a
transparent or semi-transparent material such that the amount of
fluid in the bottle is viewable from the outside of the bottle.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottle, discharge mechanism,
and protrusion are formed of material selected from the group
consisting of metal, glass, and plastic.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein the bottle is pre-filled with
fluid.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion is integrally
formed with the bottom wall of the bottle.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein the protrusion comprises a
separate unit that is attached to the bottom wall of the
bottle.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein the outside of the protrusion is
ribbed to created a frictional engagement when the protrusion is
inserted into the aperture in the horizontal surface.
10. The device of claim 1 wherein: the protrusion comprises
external threads; and the device further comprises a wing nut
comprising internal threads that is adapted to threadably mount
onto the protrusion underneath the horizontal surface to secure the
position of the device.
11. The device of claim 1 wherein an upper portion of the bottle is
tapered towards the discharge mechanism to enable a user's hands to
fit under the discharge mechanism during use of the device.
12. The device of claim 1 wherein the discharge mechanism is a
spout.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein the discharge mechanism is a
foaming pump.
14. A method for installing a fluid dispenser on a horizontal
surface having an aperture comprising the steps of: providing a
fluid dispenser comprising: a bottle for housing the fluid, the
bottle having a bottom wall; a discharge mechanism that is
configured to discharge fluid from the bottle; and a protrusion
that is connected to and extends from the bottom wall of the
bottle; inserting the protrusion into the aperture in the
horizontal surface such that the bottom wall of the bottle rests on
the horizontal surface and the bottle is capable of standing upward
on the horizontal surface without the use of a separate base or
mount.
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of threading
a wing nut onto the protrusion underneath the horizontal surface,
the protrusion having external threads.
Description
[0001] The present invention is directed towards a dispenser that
can be mounted on a countertop.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many public bathrooms in business establishments such as
offices and restaurants have soap dispensers that include
soap-filled bottles mounted under the counter next to the sinks.
The dispensers have spouts that are disposed above the counter and
are attached to the under-mounted bottles so that soap can be
pumped from the respective bottles. Typically, large holes are
bored into the counter so that the spout and bottle can be securely
attached to one another to form the dispenser assembly. There are
several drawbacks to this type of dispenser assembly. First, it is
difficult to determine when the under-mounted soap bottle is empty
or running low on soap because the bottle is not visible above the
counter. Typically, a person has to go underneath the counter and
unscrew the bottle to determine the amount of soap in it, which is
labor-intensive and can be unsanitary. Also, the soap bottles are
typically not disposable and must be refilled with soap. The
process of pouring soap into the bottles can also be
labor-intensive and messy.
[0003] Many operators of public bathrooms have explored replacing
the prior art soap dispensers as described above with new soap
dispensers that do not have the noted drawbacks. For example, some
operators have used stand-alone soap dispensers that rest on top of
but are not affixed to the countertop. Those dispensers, however,
are often stolen by consumers who use them in their homes. Further,
when the prior art dispensers are replaced with new means for
delivering soap, the hole in the counter from the prior art
dispenser remains and can be very unattractive.
[0004] Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a soap dispenser
system that can easily be refilled or replaced and that utilizes
existing counter holes that were used for the prior art soap
dispensers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0005] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a dispenser in
accordance with the present invention.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an installed dispenser in
accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention is a dispenser, such as a soap
dispenser, that is easy to replace or refill and may fit into holes
in counters that were utilized for prior art soap dispenser
systems.
[0008] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the dispenser 10 of the present
invention includes a bottle 12, a discharge mechanism such as a
spout 20 or a foaming pump that may be removably or permanently
attached to the bottle 12, and protrusion such as an elongated stud
14 that extends from the bottom 22 of the bottle 12. When the
dispenser 10 of the present invention is installed, the elongated
stud 14 may be inserted into the hole 30 in the counter 16 that may
have been previously bored to accommodate a prior art dispenser
assembly. The elongated stud 14 may be long enough to extend below
the depth of the counter 16 so that the bottom 22 of the bottle 12
rests flush on top of the counter 16.
[0009] Because the bottle 12 rests on top of the counter 16, an
operator may easily determine if the bottle 12 is empty or running
low on soap without having to go underneath the counter 16 to view
and/or remove the bottle 12. For example, in one aspect of the
present invention, the bottle 12 may be formed of transparent or
semi-transparent material so that the amount of soap within the
bottle 12 may be easily viewed above the counter 16. It should be
understood, however, that the components of the dispenser 10 of the
present invention may be formed of any type of material, such as
plastic, glass, or metal. In another aspect of the present
invention, the operator may remove the spout 20 from the bottle 12
to look into the bottle 12 to determine the amount of soap therein
without having to go under the counter 16. When the dispenser 10 of
the present invention is empty, the operator may easily replace the
entire dispenser 10 with a new dispenser that may be pre-filled
with soap or liquid. If the operator desires to refill the bottle
12, he or she may simply remove the spout 20 and refill the bottle
12 on top of the counter 16. Therefore, the operator is able to
easily replace or refill the dispenser 10 without having to go
underneath the counter.
[0010] The dispenser 10 of the present invention is also
theft-deterrent in that the elongated stud 14 makes it difficult
for a consumer to use the dispenser 10 in a different location
because the dispenser 10 is not stable resting on top of a planar
surface that doesn't have a hole through which the elongated stud
14 can extend.
[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the elongated
stud 14 may be ribbed to create a frictional engagement between the
stud 14 and the hole 30 in the counter 16. The elongated stud 14
may also be threaded 28 so that it can be screwed into a wing nut
24 underneath the counter 16 to provide an additional means of
securing the dispenser 10 to the counter 16. The wing nut 24 may
also help to center the stud 14 in the hole 30 if the diameter of
the hole 30 is bigger than the diameter of the stud 14.
[0012] In another embodiment of the present invention, the upper
portion of the bottle 12 is tapered towards the spout 20 so that
the user's hands are able to fit under the spout 20 when the soap
is dispensed from the bottle 12.
[0013] It should be understood that the dispenser 10 of the present
invention is not limited to dispensing soap. Rather, the dispenser
10 may dispense any type of fluid or semi-fluid material.
[0014] In view of the foregoing, the dispenser of the present
invention is easy to replace or refill without having to go
underneath the counter. The dispenser of the present invention may
also be used to replace a prior art dispenser by utilizing the
existing hole bored in the counter for the prior art dispenser.
Thus, the dispenser of the present invention does not require use
of a separate mount or base to hold or support the dispenser.
[0015] Certain modifications and improvements will occur to those
skilled in the art upon a reading of the forgoing description. All
such modifications and improvements of the present invention have
been deleted herein for the sake of conciseness and
readability.
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